Sister Dorothy Marie Thomas, a member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia for nearly 70 years and retired parochial school educator, died of heart failure Saturday at Assisi House, her order's Aston, Pa., retirement home. She was 89.

She was born and raised Dorothy Marie Thomas in Washington. She entered her order in 1937 and professed her vows in 1939.

She took the name Sister Marie Gonzaga before reverting to her birth name some years ago.

Sister Dorothy Marie earned a bachelor's degree in secondary education from Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg. She held teaching positions in Oklahoma and in Wilmington, Del., where she also served as a chaplain at St. Francis Hospital from 1984 to 1988.

During her 33 years in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Sister Dorothy Marie taught at St. Stephen parochial school in Bradshaw, the old St. Paul's School in East Baltimore, St. Peter Claver parochial school in West Baltimore, St. Clement parochial school in Rosedale and St. Elizabeth of Hungary parochial school in East Baltimore.

From 1977 to 1979, she was a member of the faculty at Immaculate Conception parochial school in Towson and from 1979 to 1980, she was assigned to St. Joseph Medical Center.

She was coordinator of health care at St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church in Fullerton from 1988 until 2001, and lived at St. Anthony Convent in Gardenville, before retiring to Assisi House in 2002.

Sister Dorothy Marie enjoyed playing the piano, writing poetry and reading.

A Mass of Christian burial will be offered at 11 a.m. today at Assisi House.

Survivors include several cousins, nieces and nephews.